Power plant accessory



Jail. 30, 1945. 5 GILBERf 2,368,537

POWER PLANT ACCESSORY Filed Feb. 8, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 O a w n N m m N a N 4 N N x9) l K n 3 5; T

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' WATTORNEY Jan. 30, 1945. s. GILBERT POWER PLANT ACCESSORY Filed Feb. 8, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ScunueL Gilbert;

ATTORNEY" ing in such mounting flange.

Patented Jan. 30, 1945 POWER PLANT ACCESSORY Samuel Gilbert, Verona,.N. .L, assignor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, Bendix, N. 1., a corporation of Delaware Application February 8, 1943, Serial No. 475,139

6 Claims.

This invention relates to power plant accesseries, and particularly to the mounting of power plant accessories.

Power plants of the internal combustion type. such as used for aircraft propulsion, usually include an engine crank-case having one or more circular openings at the outer surfaces of frustoconical bosses commonly termed mounting flanges. On such mounting flanges it is custom. ary to provide a series of angularly spaced holes to receive bolts or screws by which the engine accessory units (starters, generators, pumps, etc.) are attached; the drive to or from the unit being by a shaft passing through the central open- These bolt holes have'their centers on a circle concentric with the central opening; but as the diameter of the bolt circle is often considerably less than the diameter of the accessory to be mounted, a mounting problem is created. Heretofore this mounting problem has been met (but not with entire satis faction) by providing a neck portion on the acadvance of attachment to the engine crank-case section 2! (as has formerly been the practice) my invention involves the concept of reversing this former procedure. By reversal of the former procedure I mean that I propose to first attach the closure member III to the crank-case section 2| (or equivalent mounting support) and fasten the same in place (as by means 22, 23, 3|, 32, 33. 34, 35 and 36, as shown in Fig. 3) 'after which the remainder of the accessory is moved up into registry with the thus-installed member Ill. The final operation is toapplyand secure the clamps II to the now abutting flanges 9 and 10.

It will be understood that as the flange 9 of the main assembly is moved into abutment with c1osure member III, the shaft assembly (20, I8, ll, l9, ll, etc.) will automatically align itself, as the bearing assembly I! is designed to register properly with circular rim l6 of the closure member II), and the splined end of the shaft is designed to project therethrough, to the proper excessory and flanging the neck portion to provide a bolt receiving section of smaller diameter than the main portion of the accessory. This expedient in turn provides problems of its own, one of which is the difliculty encountered by mechanics who must install the units, as the space around the neck portion of the accessory is too small, in axial extent, to permit easy attachmentof bolts or screws.

Objects of the present invention are to provide new means for mounting such accessories.

These and other-objects of the invention will become apparent from inspection of the following specification when read with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only, and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims for this purpose.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation view, partially in section of a device embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial view in elevation;- and Fig. 3 is an exploded view of parts.

Reference numerals 5, 6,1 and 8 designate successive sections of an accessory housing, the section 8 being flanged, as at 9, and clamped t an end closure member I0, as by split clamps I I having lugs I2 (Fig. 2) to receive fastening members l3 and it. However, instead of assembling all sections, including the closure section II), in

tent to mesh with the engine drive unit (not shown).

What is claimed is:

1. In an engine accessory, the combination of a flanged end portion of said engine accessory, an end closure member and a flange-enveloping member, means for securing said end closure member to a mounting support on the engine,

, and means for securing said enveloping member so as to fasten said flanged end portion to said .end closure member, said last-named means being constructed to be detachable to then permit removal of the enveloping member and of sa1d flanged end portion without disturbing the mounted status of said end closure member, while permitting removal of said engine accessory,

2. In an engine accessory, the combination of a housing having a flanged portion at one end thereof, a closure member for said end and having a flanged portion matching that of said housing, means for securing said member to a mounting support on the engine, a channeled member constructed to removably fit over both said portions which coacts with said channeled memher is substantially trusto-conical with the base toward the mating flange, whereby the wedging action of the clamping member forces the flanges together without play.

4. In an engine accessory having a shaft for engaging a movable part of the engine through an opening therein, the combination of a closure member for said opening constructed to be attachable to the engine and having a flange portion concentric with the shaft, an accessory housing having a matching flange portion also concentric with the shait, a channeled member normally fitting around both said flange portions and detachable from at least one of them, said channeled member and said flange portions being shaped to maintain both an abutting and an alignment of said flange portions when said channeled member is thus titted and placed under tension, and means coacting with said channeled member and operable to normally place the latter under tension to mount the accessory with the shaft and the movable part in operative engagement and to relieve the tension to permit the removal of the portion of the engine accessory containing the shaft without disturbing the closure member.

5. In an engine accessory having a shaft for engaging a movable part 01 the engine through an opening therein, the combination of a closure member for said opening constructed to be attachable to the engine and having a flange portion concentric with the shaft, an accessory housing having a matching flange portion also concentric with the shaift, a tension member noraseassr mally fltting around both said flange portions and detachable from at least one of them, said tension member and said flange portions being shaped to maintain both an abutting and an alignment of said flange portions when said tension member is thus fltted and placed under tension, and means coacting with said tension memher and operable to place the latter under tension for flrmly mounting the accessory with the shaft and the movable part in engagement and to relieve the tension for permitting the removal of the portion of the engine accessory containing the shaft without disturbing the closure member.

6. In an engine accessory, the combination oi an accessory housing having a flanged portion, a closure member for said housing having a flange portion matching that of the housing and constructed to be attachable to the engine, a tension member normally fitting around both said flange portions and detachable from at least one of them, said tension member and said flange portions being shaped to maintain an alignment by circumferential binding and an abutting by wedge-action of the tension member with said flange portions when the tension member is thus fitted and placed under tension, and means coacting with said tension member and operable to place the latter under tension for firmly mounting the accessory on the engine and to relieve the tension for permitting the removal of the accessory housing without disturbing the closure member.

SAMUEL GILBERT. 

